Breaking Point
by Hikari Aiko
Summary: Everyone has that point in which they just crack. And he's finally reached that point. Warning: Death and insanity. Oneshot, but might go on.
1. Chapter 1

**Breaking Point**

Pressure, the one thing that can make anyone crack, and he was no exception. Doing well in school, living up to the standards of his fiancée, and training, everyday, in and out. Twenty miles, fifty later. Three laps around the city. It was always something different. And he was starting to crack. Slowly but surely, he was starting to crack.

"Yoh," the bluenette asked his friend. "You alright?"

"Fine," Yoh replied glumly, he had not finished his laps in time and Anna was angry at him. He loved her, that was true, but sometimes he just could not take her moodiness. Especially today, he had finals coming up, and had to study, since Anna had forbidden him from using spirits to cheat.

But that was not cheating, it was improving his shamanic powers, if that was even a word. She should be happy that he took an interest and was being creative, but no, she had to forbid him from doing so.

"Well," Horo Horo said with a pained smile. "Ryu's making dinner, you should come inside."

"Not sure Anna would let me," Yoh spat, losing it for the first time in years. "I didn't finish training. So no dinner until then."

"Yoh, you're going crazy," the Inu said, his eyes widening. "What's going on?"  
"What's going on," Yoh said, his deep onyx eyes flickering with hidden torment. "The Shaman Tournament is over, courtesy of me for _killing_ my twin brother. And now finals are coming up. I have to study, and Anna still makes me train. Why would something be wrong?"

"Snap out of it dude," Horo Horo said, backing away slightly. "Calm down."

"How," Yoh asked, on the brink of insanity. "How am I supposed to calm down? I still have work to do, after-all."

"Anna," Horo Horo called with fear laced in his words. "I need your help!"

"What is it," Anna snapped, appearing at the doorway in a matter of seconds. She would have made one of her normal threats, but she noticed Yoh's wide onyx eyes before she could. "Yoh?"

"What is it Anna dear," Yoh mocked. "Do you need something else?"

"What's going on," Anna demanded of the Inu.

"I have no idea," Horo Horo replied. "I just asked Yoh if something was wrong, and now look at him, he's going crazy."

"Yoh," Anna said. "Tell me what's wrong."

"Why should I," Yoh said in a teasing voice. "Why should I tell you anything anymore? What do you care? I'll tell you, nothing, you care nothing. My brother is _dead_, I have to study, train, work, what happened to the laid-back life I wanted? Did you ever think that I might want something in life? No, you didn't."

"Shut up," Anna yelled, before running back into the house, tears trying to escape from the confines of her eyes.

"Anna," Horo Horo said. The ice-queen itako never cried, unless she was really hurt. Horo Horo was torn, Anna and Yoh were both friends of his, who should he help? Yoh, who was on the brink of insanity, or Anna, who seemed utterly crushed by Yoh's words?

Horo Horo finally decided that Anna was the one to help, the itako never cried in front of others, only when Yoh almost died did she cry. Yoh was strong, he could take care of himself. Although, Horo Horo did not like to leave his friend in this state, he knew Yoh could pull through, at least he hoped so.

"Good, he's gone," Yoh laughed to himself. "Now I can be in peace once more, and finish my training. Then it will all be fine. Just do the work and it will all be fine. Everything will be normal, just like it should be."

Yoh realized he was muttering the same general thing to himself and stopped, he grabbed his sandals and started running, just twenty more miles to go, twenty miles until things were normal. Until he could forget.

Everything will be alright, hi smiled to himself as he ran, it always comes out alright in the end.

"Hey," Yoh said, the same easy smile plastered on his sweat-drenched face. "I'm back. Is there any dinner left?"

"In the kitchen," one of his friends murmured.

Yoh nodded his thanks and went into the kitchen, smiling broadly. He took the food up to his room, Anna had not been at the table. Was she mad at him? Yoh furrowed his brow and thought, but he could not figure out why she would still be mad. He just needed to cool off, everything was fine now.

He ate his food quickly and deposited the empty dishes outside his room, he would take those downstairs later, if he remembered. Then he stretched out on his futon. He thought over his outburst earlier today, and found that he felt much better afterwards, Maybe that was what it was like to let others know what he was really feeling. And well, it felt good.

Yoh pulled his books out and started to look them over, exams started tomorrow and he had a lot of studying to do if he wanted to come close to passing these exams. First was his history exam, that one would be easy. He had a natural ability for history for some reason, must be his interest in the people.

The next day he had his Chemistry and Geometry exams, those he was doomed on if he did not study. So he pulled up the overly-large chemistry book and began to look it over, but it looked like it was in a different language.

He stared at the markings he had made in his notes and in the book and tried to decipher their meanings, but sleep was beginning to take over, it was midnight after all. And in a matter of minutes, Yoh was passed out on his books.

"Yoh," Anna muttered, peeking in the slightly ajar door. "Are you alright. I'm sorry, you can use spirits or stop training for awhile. Just… I'm sorry."

No answer came from the dark room, so Anna brought herself into the room slightly, and saw the passed out form of her fiancée on his chemistry books. She chuckled almost silently. She would have to tell him again tomorrow.

Anna took the books out from under him and laid them beside his futon. She was about to leave, when she bent down and softly kissed her sleeping fiancée on the lips. "Sleep well, Yoh."

Yoh shifted slightly from the movement, but then settled, and was still in peaceful slumber. Anna let a smile grace her cold features as she left the room, grabbing the tray outside Yoh's door. It was the least she could do, she had been so hard on him.

"Wha tim's it," Yoh mumbled as he stumbled off the futon. He glanced at the small clock he kept near his bed. "Shi!" he mumbled when he saw the time. "Gotta go!"

"Yoh," Anna questioned at the doorway. "Are you up? We have to go to school." She sounded uncertain through the door, and Yoh rushed to put decent clothes on while yelling words no human could understand. Anna smiled, Yoh was back to normal.

"Ready," Yoh smiled as he rushed out of the room, grabbing Anna's hand and dragging her with him.

The two ran to school, Anna somehow being the faster one, even though it was Yoh who did all the training. When they got there, they rushed into the testing room, History.

Yoh smiled, easy. He actually paid attention in that class, so he was ready for anything.

"How do you think you did," Manta asked with a smile.

"I'm doomed," Yoh said, the tears rushing down his face, much like when he first saw Anna while he was in the hospital. "Anna's gonna kill me!"

"It'll be fine Yoh," Manta sighed. "Did you study?"

"No," Yoh whined. "I thought I knew History."

"Don't worry about it," Manta reassured his friend. "Your grade won't fall that much if you fail."

"Great," Yoh sighed. "I'm gone study now then."

"Yoh," Anna said, right on cue. "How was your exam?"

"Fine," Yoh said, lying through his teeth. "You?"

"Mine was fine," Anna said nonchalantly. "Now, let's get home. I need to study."

"No," Yoh said, slamming his fist on the sink. "No. How did I fail all of them? What happened?"

Yoh continued to stare at his reflection in the mirror for a few more minutes, before taking his bruised fist and smashing it cruelly into the mirror. It cracked from the force and Yoh's hand started bleeding instantly.

He watched as the shards fell to the ground and small puddle formed. Red silk, like the fabrics Ren wore, it was so… pretty. Yoh sank to the ground slowly, his fist still bleeding a good deal, more than he thought it would. Then he started to drag his fingers through red silk, making small pictures between the shards of glass.

They were so pretty, and the silk was so fine and beautiful against the smooth tiles of the bathroom floor. Yoh was kneeling now, and the glass was wedging itself in his knees and was buried in his fingers covered in red silk.

"It's nice," Yoh mused, his thoughts clouded by the sudden rush the red silk gave him.

Yoh smiled, looking at the broken shards of glass scattered about the floor, he could make more of this pretty color, it was easy. All he had to do was bear the sudden rush he felt when it came out. But that was no punishment, it felt good to him.

"Hey Yoh," a voice called, shaking him from his revere. "You almost done in there? I have to shower before dinner. I stink."

It had to be Horo Horo. Yoh took the liberty of not answering, and instead grabbed a piece of glass and dragged it along his thin arms, he really was bony. He would have to work on that, Anna would make sure of it.

Anna, the name made him shudder. How he had just blatantly lied to her, how could he live with doing that. He let the glass go deeper, he had to find a punishment for what he did to Anna. How could they get married if he was not willing to be perfectly honest with her. They could not.

"Yoh," Horo Horo called. "Are you alright in there?"

"Yoh still did not answer his friend, instead, he played with the red silk that was slowly growing bigger on the tiles. "So pretty," he muttered to himself without even realizing it. He felt dizzy though, maybe he should stop playing with the red silk.

He should clean it up, Anna would have a fit. And he would not want that from his fiancée, how beautiful she was. Yoh contemplated her as his fingers moved in lazy circles. Then he made the mistake, he closed his eyes and let himself fall into a peaceful slumber.

"Yoh," Horo Horo yelled, banging on the door, then shaking the handle, no use. He quickly got Kororo to help him break the door down, and gasped at the shock of what he saw before him. His friend was lying in a puddle of his own blood, a shattered mirror around him.

"Why," Horo Horo whispered, more to himself than Yoh. "Why did you do it?"

The blood was starting to flow out of the room, how there was so much Horo Horo did not know. But he slowly backed away from the sight.

"Anna," Horo Horo called, the panic rising uncontrollably in his voice. "I need your help. Something's very wrong."

Anna would have come, if she did not already know what Horo Horo was talking about. And it was all her fault, her fault that Yoh would go to this extreme. She bent her head in sorrow. It was all her fault, her fault that Yoh was gone.

"Red silk," Yoh smiled to himself as he drifted off. "Anna would look beautiful in a red silk yutaka."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hikari: Since so many people asked for it, I decided to continue this story. As a warning, I'm not sure what the ending will be, so if anyone has any sugestions I would love to hear them.**

**Ren: Hikari Aiko does not own Shaman King, but she does own her own ideas. And she hopefully owns the milk she promised me.**

**Hikari: ...**

**Ren: Then just read. I'll get my own milk.**

**Breaking Point**

**Chapter Two**

"You could at least try to save him," Horo yelled at Anna.

"There's no use," Anna sighed, her face remaining expressionless. "He's already dead by now."

"How can you say that so casually," Horo shouted, running out of the room.

"Because it's true," Anna whispered to the spot Horo had been occupying only moments before.

"I'm not going to let you die Yoh," Horo said as he ran down the hall towards the bathroom where his passed out friend was. He was not the brightest one out there, and had not thought of trying to help Yoh after calling the abulance, only of yelling at Anna for not doing something to prevent all this. She worked him like a slave everyday, it only made sense that one of these days he would snap like this. Horo knew that he had done poorly on his finals and that, although Yoh never showed it, he was taking the death of Hao really hard as well. Why did Anna not see this?

She probably did, but just did not care. That had to be the reason.

Horo keep running down the hall until he reached the bathroom, inside, Yoh was still lying motionless on the floor, surrounded by his own blood. It looked like red silk, beautiful in a sick kind of way.

Horo shook the morbid thoughts of blood and death from his mind as he knelt down beside his fallen friend to check for a pulse. There was a softly beating one to his relief, but there was no telling how long Yoh would hold up.

"They're here," Ren said from the doorway. He too had his gaze resting on his fallen friend. He too thought all the blood looked like red silk. But he quickly stepped aside to allow the paramedics to pass through. They rushed over to Yoh, Horo only just barely having enough time to get out of the way.

"You two," one of the paramedics shouted, a girl in her late twenties with shoulder length blonde hair and serious emerald green eyes. "Out of here right now. We have to work. There's also a police officer who wants to talk to the both of you."

"Going," Horo said, stumbling past Ren and out the door, with his Chinese friend on his heels, walking slightly more steadily though.

They both walked slower than usual down the hall to where they could hear a police officer questioning Anna. But they still arrived at their destination sooner than they really wanted to. It was hard enough to see Yoh like that, to have to tell someone they did not know about it, it was just a bit too much.

But, none-the-less, they walked into the room to see a police officer in his early thirties talking to Anna. He had shaggy blonde hair that covered the tops of his emerald green eyes. To Ren he looked disturbingly like the female paramedic in the bathroom. To Horo, he looked like someone who would be none too comforting in this sort of situation.

Of course, the real shock was Anna. She had tears streaming down her face and was ringing the bottom of her black dress like a nervous school girl. It was such a difference from the normally calm and collected, if not emotionless Anna they all knew. It was even a contrast from the Anna Horo had left only minutes ago. Crying, that was the big thing. Anna, the ice-queen itako never cried. Only when Yoh almost died did she let a few tears loose, but never had she looked like this.

"Hey," the police officer said with a friendly smile. "Two more to join the party. Anna, you can go now. Do you need anything?"

"No," Anna said curtly. "I'm fine." Then she abruptly stood up and exited the room at a normal pace like it was any other day.

"Alright," the man said with another smile. It was like he was trying to make everyone feel better about something that he knew was a lost cause. "Which one of you wants to go first in telling me what lead up to all of this?"

"I will," Ren volunteered, glancing sideways to see Horo almost in tears.

"Great," the man said. "You can just call me Kat, it's easier that way. Now, what did you see?"

"Yoh was abnormally stressed out with finals and the recent death of his twin brother," Ren started, trying to keep his voice as emotionless as possible. "Then he was training hard so he did not have enough time to study. He failed most of his finals. Then he started acting moodier, angier. Until today, when he went into the bathroom and then Horo found him about a little while later."

"Thanks," Kat said. "You're Ren, right?"

"Yes," Ren replied shortly. He glanced over at Horo once more, his eyes seeming to say, sorry, your turn.

"Thanks then Ren," Kat replied. "Your turn now. Can I get your name?"

"Horo," Horo mumbled under his breath.

"Speak up kiddo," Kat said. "I just need to know what you know about all this. For official stuff and all, we need an account of the incident."

"Everything Ren said was right," Horo mumbled.

"You must know something else though, seeing as you found him," Kat said, urging Horo to say more.

"I was the one who found him because he had been in there for a long time," Horo continued slowly. "Longer than usual that is. So I knocked on the door and got no response, and then I got nervous and knocked down the door. Then there was the blood and I ran over and checked for a pulse, then ran to call 911. And here you are because of it."

"So you agree that Yoh was very stressed," Kat said.

"Yes," Horo said, wondering why he was being questioned more than Ren was.

"And what is all this about his brother," Kat asked.

"Yoh's twin brother Hao recently died in a fire," Horo said. "And Yoh was taking it harder than he would show. And things were just very busy around here. But we all could hear Yoh cry on most nights. He was just depressed but wouldn't let any of us help him. And now, I just wish that we had. Then maybe none of this would have happened."

"What's done is done," Kat said. "Thanks for telling me all this. You guys were a lot of help. I think the others left and I'm guessing you can visit your friend in the hospital in a day or two. They just need to make sure he's stable. And I wish you all luck and I hope you keep your hopes up. This was minor to what we've seen in the past. As long as he gets blood, everything should be fine."

"Great," Horo said sarcastically. "Let me find a container for all my joy."

"Hey," Kat said. "I know the doctors at the hospital they're taking your friend too. They're really good, if there is a one percent chance of your friend living, they will make sure he lives. And I think there is about an eighty percent chance of him living and at this hospital, those odds are greatly in his favor. So cheer up, and help out that poor girl, she looked horrible when she left."

"She's the reason for all of this," Horo shouted, losing his cool.

"What," Kat asked, his curiosity piking.

"Anna is the cause for all this," Horo said, his voice lowering slightly. Ren had come back over and grabbed his arm in hopes of making him be quiet, but he had already said it, there was no taking back his words now.

"And how is that so," Kat questioned, taking a seat once more.

"She over-worked him until he just snapped," Horo continued. His words were firmer now, like he actually believed what he was saying. "And then she acts like it doesn't matter, like she doesn't care what happens to him."

"What sort of work did she make him do," Kat asked, ignoring the last part of what Horo had said.

"She had him on an extensive work-out schedule to keep him in shape," Ren interjected. "He also did a lot of cooking for the household and stayed up late only to get up early the next morning."

"And how long was this going on for," Kat asked, nodding his thanks to Ren for calming down his friend.

"As long as we knew Yoh," Ren said. "But it was really bad with exams coming up and all, then with the added trauma of losing his only sibling things were just getting worse. Anna was not the cause of all this, she just could have been a bit more helpful. But we don't blame her and she is taking it far worse than we are as I could obviously tell." At this last part, Ren shot an accusing glance over at Horo, who had his head bowed in shame of his outburst.

"I see," Kat said. "Now, are you two sure you've said everything?"

"Yes," the two boys said in unison.

"Good," Kat smiled. "Thanks for all your help. Now I can take care of all this legal stuff. Remember, go and see your friend tomorrow. He should be fine."

"Great," Ren and Horo replied in sarcastic unison. Kat just decided to take no notice of the two boys being rude, and instead went out the door to his car. At least they were through part of this ordeal. Now, to pray that Yoh was still alive.

**Hikari: Wow, I never expected to keep this story going. Thanks to everyone who reviewed this story and I hope all of you like what I wrote. Remember, I need suggestions for how you want this story to end because so far, I don't have a decent ending. Well, Read And Review!**

**And I know that Horo seemed a little Ooc, but I figure that it was because he was so shocked about Yoh, and I just really wanted him to say that. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hikari: I'm finally updating! It's a miracle. So, I've been looking through ideas suggested for an ending, and I still don't know. But I will pull something together, and will credit any ideas I used. So, keep the ideas coming, and thanks to all who have made suggestions, I really like them!**

**Yoh: What's gonna happen to me?**

**Hikari: Don't worry Yoh. I'll find something special for you.**

**Yoh: ...**

**Hikari: I scared Yoh stiff, so I have to do my own disclaimer. I don't own Shaman King. I own the original idea of this story, but most likely I will have to share ownership of the ending, because the creative juices will not flow enough for me ot think up my own ending. T.T**

**Hikari: Just to say. There's a little RenXHoro in this chapter, but you have to squint to see it. And you have to squint and turn your compute upside down to see the slight RenXYoh. Well, ENJOY!**

**Breaking Point**

**Chapter Three**

It had been three days. It took them three days to deem Yoh worthy enough to be seen by the public. Needless to say, there were many people in Funbari Onsen who were not all that pleased. Probably the most notably annoyed was Ren, but since when has that really surprised anyone.

"When are they going to call," Ren snarled to no one in particular.

Currently, everyone was gathered in the kitchen of Funbari Onsen, comparing news they had about Yoh. So far, the most they had was a phone call about him being in critical condition due to massive blood loss. And that news was three days ago, three, now they wanted to know more.

And who might 'they' be? Well, Anna, Ren, Horo, Lyserg, Chocolove, Pirika, Tamao, Ryu, and Manta.

"Maybe later today," Lyserg tried, reaching out to put his hand on Ren's shoulder, although this gesture of kindness was quickly brushed aside as Ren angrily stormed out of the room.

"You want me to go and get him," Horo offered, getting up from his seat at the table. Ever since the incident with the police officer, Kat, Ren and Horo had seemed to get closer to each other. The rest of the residents would have commented, if not for the over-hanging sadness in the house. Even Chocolove had not cracked a joke since he found out about Yoh.

"If you think you can calm him down," Lyserg sighed, his hand still hanging in mid-air. He gently brought it back down to his side and continued on to the remaining people in the room. "Anyone else have something to say?"

"I say we go there and talk to the hospital," Ryu declared. "At least then we'll have the answers we want."

"Maybe," Lyserg said. "Or they could just kick us out and then we wouldn't be allowed to see Yoh when the time came."

"They can't ban people from the hospital," Manta sighed.

"Perhaps we should just wait it out," Pirika suggested, figetting in her seat as she heard a crash come from the other room. "Maybe I should check on them." And with that, the table was down one more.

"Anna," Lyserg started. "Tamao. Do you two have any news?"

"Anna," Tamao said shyly. "Do you want to tell them what you know?"

"No," Anna said icily, promptly leaving the room for one less crowded.

"What does Anna know," Lyserg and Ryu pressed eagerly. They missed their friend dearly, but not only that, Yoh had always been there for them. Now it was their turn to return the favor and they were not going to let the chance slip away from them.

"I'm not exactly sure," Tamao said quietly. "But I think Anna recieved a call ealier this morning. And I think it was from the hospital. All I really know is that Yoh is still in the ICU, but things are looking up for him, I think."

"Are you sure about all this," Chocolove said, a hint of a smile on his face.

"I think it's all true," Tamao said, backing up from the close contact of all the people in the room.

"Then we should be able to go see him," Chocolove replied, smiling a bit.

"She only thinks it's true," Lyserg sighed. "We don't want to bother the staff. I'm sure they have a lot to think about and a lot of work to do. We should wait for the phone call."

"What if that was the phone call," Ryu asked.

"True," Lyserg mused.

"We have no choice but to go and see him," Horo said, as he dragged Ren back into the room.

"I have to agree with Onii-Chan," Pirika nodded. "You never know until you try. So we have to at least try and see him. That way we'll know for sure what's up."

"Then off we go," Chocolove shouted. "Follow the yellow brick road everyone!"

"Chocolove," Horo and Ren sighed, attacking him. Things seemed to be looking up at the moment.

SKSKSKSK

"Hello, Miss," Lyserg said politely to a nurse. "We'd like to know the room number for Asakura Yoh."

"I'll show you," the girl smiled. She looked to be in her early twenties with long blonde hair that was pulled up into a high ponytail. She wore the light green nurse outfit which seemed to match her emerald green eyes. Basically, she was very pretty, and could have been a model if she really wanted to.

"Thank you," Lyserg responded politely. It was him with only a few others for now. If they were able to see Yoh, there was no sense in crowding the room. So, only him, Horo, and Ren had come along. The rest said they would go later.

"You're lucky you found me, you know," the nurse smiled, winking at the three boys. "I'm the nurse in charge of monitoring Yoh."

"Really," Lyserg said, a bit shocked at their luck.

"So how is he," Ren interjected, speaking the question the other two had been too afraid to ask.

"Better," the girl said, her smile fading. "Although I'm not sure what the outcome will be."

"What do you mean," Ren pressed, ignoring his gut which was telling him to drop it.

"Well," she said, figetting slightly. "He lost a lot of blood and is pretty weak. It took him a lot of energy just to wake up. But, these things have a way of working out for the better."

"Is that supposed to make us feel better," Ren twitched.

"I was hoping so," the girl replied one last time, directing them through a door.

"Then you thought wrong," Ren said under his breath as they entered the room.

"Yoh," Lyserg was the first to recover from the shock of seeing their friend. He was hooked up to various machines, including the ever-present IV. There was also bandages on his wrist where the cuts had been made, and it looked like more bandages on his chest.

"Hey," Yoh replied weakly, trying to lift his arm, but failing miserably.

"How are you," Horo asked after he too had recovered from the shock.

"I guess better," Yoh sighed, looking at the different machines. "But I'm not too sure anymore."

"What happened to your chest," Lyserg asked, going closer.

"I don't know," Yoh replied sleepily. "I woke up with the bandages there. I was having a nice dream too."

Ren, who still had not spoken, quickly backed up out of the room at the comments he heard. Was it just him, or did Yoh sound sad to be alive?

"Ren," Yoh said, his eyes getting slightly teary watching his friend leave the room. "Where are y-"

"Don't say anything," Ren snapped. "Is it true, do you wish you had died?"

"Ren," Horo and Lyserg gasped.

"I," Yoh started, trying to think about the right words to say. Finally he decided on three, "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know," Ren shouted. "Do you know what we went through, did you ever think of that? Were you only thinking of yourself? You idiot. Kisama!"

Then the door slammed shut and Ren was gone. Guess they could have brought one more after-all.

"Ren," Yoh said, looking forlornly at the door.

"Should I," Horo asked. Lyserg nodded.

And then there was one.

"Yoh," Lyserg said quietly. "Are you alright?"

"No," Yoh said, sobbing quietly as he watched the door. "I'm not fine. I never was. And now you all hate me. Anna probably never wants to see me ever again."

"She does," Lyserg said, reaching out to comfort Yoh, but he quickly flinched away. "She was devastated after you left. She wants to see you, I just know it."

"No she doesn't," Yoh said a little more forcefully. "She doesn't care at all! She never did!"

"Yoh," Lyserg said, slowly backing up. This definately was not the Yoh they all knew and loved. This was someone else.

"Do you care Lyserg," Yoh asked, desperation clear in his voice. "Do you care what happens to me?"

"Yes," Lyserg replied uncertainly. "And so does everyone else. You'll see."

"Don't try to hide the truth," Yoh said bitterly. "Don't lie to me and tell me they care."

"Kiddo," the nurse said, peeking her head through the door. "You gotta go."

Lyserg hurried out the room, glad for the excuse to leave. But he could not help but question why once he was safely outside.

"We need to check on him," the nurse replied kindly. "And the three of you got him quite riled up. And that's not too good for him right now."

"I see," Lyserg mused. "May I ask you a question?"

"Sure," she smiled.

"Why are there bandages on Yoh's chest?"

"We found a broken rib and there were also cuts on his chest and back. So we fixed them up and got the rib set," the girl said.

"And one more thing," Lyserg pressed.

"Yes."

"His mental state?"

"Unstable."

"Oh. I see."

Then Lyserg did the only thing left to do, he left. Ren and Horo were long gone by now.

Guess the others will not be coming in after-all.

**Hikari: Wow, that was unexpected. Poor Yoh. Well, read and review and hopefully I'll update soon! Then you'll all know what happens to Yoh. And I think the next chapter will be the last! And yeah, that seemed kinda below-par in terms of the other two chapters, but I really wanted to get it up. And poor Yoh is mentally unstable. T.T Review if you want to find out what happens next and if he ever gets his sanity back. And ideas are still welcome!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hikari: I promised this about a week ago now and feel really bad about not updating. But it finally came. I just have a lot going on right now and such. Well, I don't own and enjoy!!!!  
****I don't own. The language is a little worse in this one, just to caution people.**

**Oh, right. This chapter is dedicated to two people. One of my really close friends named Jeannie. And the other person is another good friend of mine named Frank. Yea, I dedicated another story to him as well, he's my Shaman King buddy, and just about the only other person I know who watches it that goes to school with me. But yea, those are the two people. Love ya both lot's!!!!**

**Breaking Point**

**Chapter Four**

Everyone was gathered in the kitchen of the inn with bowls of rice in front of them. Everyone, that is, except Kyouyama Anna. She was nowhere to be found, but everyone suspected she was locked inside her room, just like she had been ever since Yoh had been admitted to the hospital a little while ago. And now, as far as anyone knew, she was the only one who had not gone to see Yoh yet.

"So, anyone have any news for us," Horo asked, trying to make some conversation. It had been a week since the accident, and everyone seemed so different.

To start things off, Tamao and Ryu no longer lived with them. Both were so crushed after they visited Yoh that they moved out soon after, especially when they heard that Yoh's mental state was no longer stable.

Chocolove had also had to go back to America due to family business. Everyone thought he was an orphan, but long-lost relatives always seem to pop up at the most unexpected times.

Now, there were only a few left in the inn.

Everything was in disarray from the lack of cleaning being done. With Anna out of the picture, no one was doing any of the work they used to do. Dirty dishes were piled up in the sink, the trash was over-flowing, and weeds were begining to sprout up outside the inn. Yes, the inn was a disaster zone. They were not going to be getting any customers anytime soon.

"No news from us," Pirika and Manta replied in unison. Ren just bowed his head and sub-conciously allowed Horo to hold his hand.

Ever since the incident at the hospital, Horo and Ren had been a couple, sort of. And if not a couple, then they were certainly a whole lot closer than they used to be.

"Well, we could try visiting him again," Lyserg suggested quietly. "Maybe he's feeling better."

"I doubt it," Ren muttered. "But we can try."

"How about tomorrow," Horo suggested.

"Sounds good," Lyserg replied. "And you never know, he could be getting better."

"Hopefully," Manta sighed.

sksksksk

"Yoh," Anna whispered quietly, poking her head into the dimly lit hospital room. "How are you feeling?"

"Anna," Yoh whispered back, equally as quiet. "Is that you?"

"Yes," Anna responded. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better now," Yoh said, struggling to sit up in his bed, moving the various tubes he was connected to around a bit. "You can come in."

"Thanks," Anna said as she stepped fully into the room. "I was worried about you, you know."

"Really," Yoh replied, Anna could see the glint of hope in his eyes even in the dimly lit hospital room.

The sun was setting so there was not that much light to begin with, and since the shades had been pulled shut, the room was almost pitch black.

Anna cautiously moved into the room, quietly shutting the door behind her. She made her way slowly over to where Yoh had sucessfully sat up in his bed.

"So you never really answered my question, how are you," Anna asked again.

"Yes I did," Yoh smiled, it was the first time he had really smiled in weeks, it felt good. "I feel much better now that you're here."

Anna stood in a awkward silence. How was she supposed to respond after-all, her fiancee had gone and slit his wrists hoping to die and now he was happy to see her. On any other day, she would have screamed at him to run laps around the hospital for his stupidity. But this was not any other day, this was the first time she had seen Yoh since his little accident. She would not be too hard on him right now, but when he felt better, there would be Hell for him to pay. How dare he make her go through everything she went through.

"Good," Anna replied shortly, having finally found her voice.

Another long awkward silence between the young couple. It was quite obvious that they were not really used to being alone together for so long. And under the circumstances made it even worse.

Anna swallowed slightly and summoned up what was left of her courage as she uttered one word, "Why?"

"I was sad," Yoh answered. "I couldn't take it any longer."

"How does that make it right," Anna snapped, her voice rising from the whisper it had been thus far. "How did you think that doing that to yourself would possibly make anything right again? Do you know how scared we all were, how scared I was? Is your self esteem so low now that you have to do that just to see if anyone cares enough to try and save you? What if Horo hadn't been there?"

"You...were scared," Yoh asked quietly, tears shimmering in his deep black eyes.

It took Anna a moment to realize that he had responded to her comment, but when she did, she spoke, "Yes. Yes Yoh, I was scared."

"But I thought you didn't care," Yoh questioned quietly.

"How could you even think that," Anna responded quickly. "I'm your fiancee, of course I care."

"But it was just arranged, so how do I know that you don't just care because you have to," Yoh accused.

"Look Yoh, I care alright," Anna snapped. She sat down on the edge of the bed and gently reached her hand out to stroke his cheek affectionately.

"You really do," Yoh mumbled, leaning into the gentle touch. "You really care about me?"

"Yes Yoh," Anna replied gently. "I care, and when you did that, I was worried. I thought you were going to die. And I blamed myself for it, for working you too hard and not allowing you to study enough. And I'm sorry."

"You don't have to appologize, it's not your fault," Yoh smiled. "You were just trying to help me. And everything is fine now, nantoka naru desu."

"Yeah, nantoka naru desu," Anna responded, smiling, if only slightly.

The young couple stayed like that for some moments, Anna's hand gently caressing Yoh's cheek. And eventually, Yoh fell into a peaceful sleep, finally having found out that Anna really did care for him.

After some time had passed, Anna looked down to the see the serene smile on Yoh's face and her smile grew slightly bigger. She gently bent down and whispered, "Aishiteru Yoh." Before kissing him lightly on the lips. Yoh's smile seemed to grow bigger after she did that.

Anna merely shook her head and headed for the door. She would see him again soon. If he was feeling better, the doctor had told her that he would be able to come home soon.

She headed down the hospital halls, smiling softly to herself, Yoh was right, everything will work out.

sksksksk

"Time to go slow-poke," Horo smiled, poking his head into Ren's room.

"I am not slow," Ren yelled as he started for the door. "See, I'm already ready and waiting for you."

"Damn Chinese," Horo muttered as he started for the living room where Lyserg and Ren, the only others going, were waiting.

"I heard that Baka Ainu," Ren called from where he was standing.

"I don't care," Horo scoffed, let's just go.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," Lyserg said quietly.

"You suggested it," Horo shouted a little louder than necesary.

"Well, I think I go back on my idea," Lyserg replied.

"Let's just go," Ren ordered. "I want to see how Yoh is doing."

"...," Horo stared blankly.

"Ren, caring," Lyserg smiled slightly. "That's so...unlike you. Did Horo put something in your food this morning?"

"Horo never touched my food," Ren fumed. "Perhaps I just care about Yoh, he saved me after-all."

"Say that again Renny," Horo said sweetly.

"I will not," Ren shouted. "Let's go, I want to get this over with."

"Renny cares," Horo chanted. "Renny cares."

"Keep talking like that and you won't be around for much longer," Ren continued to shout.

"Renny is scary," Horo whispered to Lyserg, who giggled slightly despite himself.

"And don't call me Renny," Ren replied angrily.

sksksksk

"We're here," Horo announced unnecesarily.

"We can see that Baka Ainu," Ren shouted.

"Maybe this really was a bad idea," Lyserg sighed. "I don't feel so good anyway."

"Come on," Horo urged. "We at least have to see how he's doing. You two are no fun."

"Go," Ren snapped. "I came, I'll see, and I'll go. Now get going!"

"Meannie," Horo laughed as he went inside. He walked right up to the front desk where a teenage girl who could not have been any older than them was reading a smutty magazine.

"Can I help you," she sighed, putting down what looked like a copy of Vogue.

"We're here to see Asakura Yoh," Horo said happily.

"Do you know where his room is, cuz I ain't looking him up," the girl said, utterly perturbed at the interruption.

"We know," Ren cut in. "We'll just be going now. Come on you two."

"Have a nice day," the girl called after them, obviously a forced gesture.

"She was useless, what was she doing working here anyway," Horo ranted as they walked. "What if we hadn't known where to go? Then what would she have done? Then she would have been in big trouble. I bet she doesn't even know how to find where people are in this place. And she only looked to be about our age, this is no place for her to be working..."

"Do you ever shut up," Ren snapped. "I didn't like her either, but you don't see me ranting about it, now shut up we're almost there."

"Actually," Lyserg interjected. "We're here."

"So I see," Ren replied through gritted teeth.

"Hey Yoh, you up," Horo asked quietly.

"Huh," a tired voice called from farther within the dark room. Obviously Yoh was not very fond of having light in him room seeing as everytime anyone visited him the lights were off and the blinds were drawn. "Who's there?"

"I would have thought by now you would be able to see in the dark," Horo laughed. "Do you want us to turn on the lights or something?"

"It's fine," Yoh mumbled. "I like it dark in here."

"If you're sure," Horo sighed.

"So how are you anyway," Ren asked, a hint of concern in his normally harsh voice.

"Things aren't the same around the inn without you there," Lyserg added.

"Anna isn't the same," Ren sighed.

"Well, we just came to see how you're doing," Horo quickly added. He did not want to bring up any unpleasantness by mentioning Anna's name to the already mentally unstable Yoh. People may think he is an idiot, but he does have some common sense to him.

"I'm much better," Yoh said, there was even a hint of a smile in his voice. "I'm just really tired is all."

"Do you want us to leave then," Lyserg asked.

"You can stay," Yoh responded. "The company would be nice for once. Not many people come by here. And the spirits are all so glum all the time. It's nice to have some company for once."

"Yoh," Ren whispered. Ever since the police officer had come to their house and questioned them. Ren and Horo had grown a lot closer, and as much as Ren hated to admit it he seemed to be going soft from all this.

"Well, then you want to play a game," Horo suggested. "I have cards."

"Baka," Ren snorted under his breath. "Why do you have cards anyway?"

"Found them and brought them," Horo laughed. "So do you guys want to play or not?"

"Sounds good," Yoh said with a slight laugh. "I guess we need the light though."

"I'll get it," Lyserg volunteered.

He made his way over to where he was guessing the switch was and lightly flipped it on. Pale light flickered into life and allowed the three boys to see their friend for the first time in awhile.

Horo and Lyserg let out small gasped and tried not to stare, but Ren was glued to the spot, staring. Yoh was even paler than he was in the begining and seemed like he had more bandages which meant that even more was going on than they knew. He looked worse if anything.

"What the Hell," Ren shouted. "What the fuck are you doing to yourself you idiot!"

"Ren," Horo hissed slightly.

"You fucking idiot, how did you manage this," Ren continued to shout.

"I didn't do it," Yoh whispered. "They were always there."

"Well then how the fuck did they get worse," Ren snarled.

"The nurses told me they couldn't help this time," Yoh said, tears welling up at the corners of his eyes, threatening to fall at any moment. "They said too much damage had been done already. I'm dying."

"No," Ren gasped. "You're not. Everything will work out. That's what you always said. You can't just give up now."

"I'm not trying to," Yoh said, trying his best to smile. "But it's starting to hurt."

"Has Anna even SEEN you yet," Ren snapped. "Did she even ATTEMPT to care?"

"She visited," Yoh whispered. "We never turned on the light. So she doesn't know."

You're a fucking idiot," Ren said, his voice a whisper now. "Just a plain fucking idiot."

"I'm sorry," Yoh whispered back. "I didn't know."

"They said that this was the best place to be if you get hurt," Lyserg said, finally speaking. Almost no one dies here."

"You're stronger than this Yoh," Horo added on. "You've been through so much worse. Like when you were landed in the hospital after you fought Ren the first time. Remember, you told me all about that? This can't possibly be as bad."

"It is," Yoh sighed. "I'm sorry. I was stupid. And now I've hurt Anna too. I'm gonna die and the last thing she'll remember is me lying to her."

By now, Yoh was flat-out sobbing, he slowly moved his arms up to cover his face, being careful not to jar any of the tubes he was hooked up to.

The three friends stared on in shock. It was almost too much to bare, watching their leader, the strongest one out of them all, break down like this. Things were not supposed to end like this, they were supposed to work ou-

_Knock, knock, knock, knock._

The sound of a fist on the door jarred each boy out of his thoughts.

"Asakura Yoh," a blonde woman said. She was the same girl they had seen the last time they had visited. "Oh. I'm sorry. I see you have guests. I was just coming to see how you were doing. I won't be able to check on you for awhile. I think someone else is taking over for me."

"I-is something w-wrong," Yoh stammered out, trying to control his unsteady breathing.

"My brother was just shot," the nurse said, tears slowly brimming at her eyes. "They say he'll be okay, but I have to see for myself."

"They said someone else would be okay and look where that got us," Ren breathed harshly.

"I'm sorry," the nurse replied. "I know what you're talking about. Tell you what, if my brother is okay, I'll come right back here and figure out for myself just what is going on."

"Shouldn't you already know," Lyserg questioned quietly.

"I should, but specialists with these injuries have been coming in and I haven't been able to do anything," the nurse responded. "I just check the moniters and everything seemed fine to me. Now, I really have to go. Do you need anything darling?"

"I'm fine," Yoh said quietly.

"Alright," the nurse said, trying to smile a little, but all four boys could see the tears glistening on her cheeks.

"Idiot," Ren said, a left the room.

"I have to go Yoh," Horo added. "Feel better."

"Thanks," Yoh managed.

"Do you want anything," Lyserg asked kindly.

"Tell Anna I love her," Yoh smiled.

"I'll do that," Lyserg smiled back. "Feel better Yoh."

"Thanks," Yoh whispered, closing his eyes, hoping for sleep.

SKSKSKSK

"They just told me," Anna said, tears brimming on the edges of her eyes as she glanced at her fiancee. "I came here right after."

"I'm sorry," Yoh whispered. He had been saying that a lot as of late.

"You're an idiot," Anna said, allowing a few stray tears to fall down her face. "How did you manage this?"

"I lost too much blood," Yoh responded glumly. "And the doctors won't tell me what else is wrong. All I know is that it's serious."

"I'm not going to just let you die," Anna responded firmly. "There is too much ahead of you. And you have been through far worse. If you die, I'll bring your spirit back anyway."

"Anna," Yoh said, trying his hardest to smile. "I don't want to try anymore. I want to give up for once. I'm tired."

"No you're not," Anna snapped. "I'm not going to let you die."

"But I did everything I was supposed to do already," Yoh protested.

"Do you really despise life that much," Anna spat. "That you would actually ask me to let you die."

And with that, there was a large slap mark across Yoh's face. His eyes brimmed with tears of pain and sorrow at the same time.

"I never meant to hurt you Anna, I'm sorry," Yoh said. "I just thought no one cared, there was too much stress, I couldn't take it anymore. Please forgive me. That's all I ask of you."

"No," Anna replied firmly. "You're not going to just give in like this."

Anna briskly left the room. Yoh was just about to close his eyes and continue to wish for his death, if only to just ease the pain he was in, when he noticed a small package lying on the bed.

_Anna must have dropped it, _Yoh thought absently as he picked it up. He looked it over once and noticed that it was tattooed with his own name, therefore meaning it was his. He blinked a few times in confusion and slowly unwrapped the gift. The wrapping paper was just a brown paper bag, but it looked like someone had hand-drawn the small and delicate oranges that were all over it.

Yoh looked it over once more and slowly unwrapped the small treasure, being careful not to rip the pretty paper. Inside was a single CD, Bob's newest one to be exact. It was a love album, he had been experimenting with some love songs and put them all together on a new album. Yoh smiled at the gift.

"I won't give up," Yoh whispered to no one in particular. "If only for you, Anna."

**Hikari: Wow, that was long. And very sappy. Yea, there's one more part after this, it's actually the epilogue. Sorry for any spelling and grammar stuff. I should probably find someone else to proof my stories as well, meh, maybe another time.**

**Hikari: Anyway, READ AND REVIEW!!!!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hikari: Wow, I can't believe this story is coming to a close. And to think, it started out as a one-shot.**

**Manta: I was hardly in it.**

**Hikari: So? There will be other stories, maybe I'll make one all about you.**

**Manta: Nevermind, I'm happy with what I have.**

**Hikari: Good, now, thank you so much to all the readers and reviewers who have looked at this story, your support has helped me write this. And thanks for the wonderful ideas I received when I had writers block. And just thanks in general! I don't own Shaman King. Now, on with the story!!!!**

**Breaking Point **

**Epilogue**

"And how is he doing," Anna spoke softly into the phone.

"He seems to be on an upswing," the voice on the other side of the phone replied. "We've been doing everything in our power to help him. We just need more time."

"How much longer do you think he'll be there," Anna asked still speaking quietly.

"I don't know," the other voice responded sadly. "I'm hoping for the best but fearing the worst to be completely honest with you. Will you be visiting him sometime? He has been especially sad lately, since we took away his headphones because they were interferring with the testing equipment."

"I see," Anna said. "Did he receive the package I left for him last week?"

"Yes. I went in to check on him later that night and found him crying, and after that he started getting a little better," the nurse spoke. "I think he really wants to live. He really seems to want to live, for you."

"For me," Anna asked.

"For you," the nurse replied. "Please visit him, I don't like seeing good kids like him die."

"He'll hang in there, he always does," Anna said. "He's been through so much worse."

With that, she hung the phone up quietly and retreated to her room. She laid down to return to the land of dreams and wait for what tomorrow would bring for her.

SKSKSKSK

"Hurry up dumbass," Ren said angrily. "We only have two hours left."

"It's not my fault your too short," Horo teased from the top of the ladder.

"There is a way to lessen your advantage," Ren smirked as he began to shake the ladder.

"Hey, watch it," Horo yelped, clinging to the top of the ladder in fear. "I can't balance on this thing that well."

"Should have thought of that before calling me short," Ren snapped as he laid the ladder back into it's original position. "And I'll have you know that I drink three bottles of milk a day."

"That's probably why your so short, they stunted your growth," Horo giggled to himself.

"What was that Boro Boro," Ren replied dangerously.

"Don't call me Boro B-" Horo started, but the rest was cut off as he fell off the ladder and onto the vertically-challenged Chinese Shaman. Which caused a series of muffled shouts to be made, some of which were too vulgar for anyone but Anna to know the meaning of.

"Shut up in there and keep working," Anna called out from the kitchen.

"Yes Anna-San," the two boys responded in unison.

"Wow, she sure has been easy to annoy lately. I mean more so than usual, don'tcha think," Horo said casually as he climbed back up the ladder Ren had righted.

"Well, it certainly is understandable," Ren mused. "What, with everything she's been through as of late."

"I still don't think she should get so mad at us," Horo sighed. "Well, I'll just finish putting everything up here. And then the inn should be ready for everyone."

"Then hurry up with it," Ren snapped.

"Wow, you're even easier to annoy now too," Horo chuckled.

"This is no time to be laughing," Ren yelled, ignoring the comment Horo had made.

"I'll just get back to work now," Horo laughed nerviously.

SKSKSKSK

"Are you doing alright Anna-San," Lyserg asked quietly.

"Are you," Anna replied shortly. "And of course I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?"

"You just seem a little different," Lyserg responded, choosing his words carefully, but not well enough.

"Different, eh," Anna said coldly. "And what might you mean by that?"

"Nothing. Maybe I should help Ren and Horo," Lyserg said nerviously.

"Get the other two to help you, Pirika and Manta," Anna ordered.

"Yes Anna-San," Lyserg sighed.

SKSKSKSK

"Is everything in order," Manta asked as he raced into the Inn.

"Yep," Pirika smiled, although she was the only one. The boys simply looked to worn out to bring themselves to speak.

"Sorry I missed it guys," Manta appologized, bowing his head. "They kept us late at cram school. Apparently someone there is causing all sorts of trouble but no one knows who it is. So they kept us late to try and find the person. They didn't succeed though."

"You're here now and that's what matters," Horo said, dragging himself up into a sitting position from where he was sprawled out on the floor. "How do you think it looks anyway?"

"Looks right to me," Manta nodded. "I like all the orange."

"We thought it fit," Horo beamed. "We all agreed the usual colors didn't really fit, so we chose mostly orange instead."

"So how long until this starts," Manta asked, his tone turning nervous.

"Soon," Ren said.

"So we just wait until then," Manta asked, figetting.

"Guess so," Lyserg sighed.

"Have a seat little buddy," Horo laughed, enjoying the fun company. It had been awhile since any of them had smiled, and they were hoping after today things would look up.

"Is Anna-San still here," Manta asked, not being able to take the silence that had settled over them all.

"Somewhere," Ren snorted. "You know her, she never stays around with any of us. Does she talk to you Pirika?"

"Not really," Pirika sighed. "I wish she would though. I think it might help her with everything."

"You know Anna-San, she likes to be by herself," Horo said. "Maybe that's how she works things out."

"The Baka-Ainu finally says something smart," Ren teased with a sly smile. "It really is a special day for everyone."

"Is that a good or bad sign though," Lyserg sighed, silencing Horo's protests at the insult.

"Let's hope a good one," Pirika smiled, although there was a slight fear laced within her lips.

SKSKSKSK

An old car slowly pulled up to the house and a young brunette with black bags under his eyes gingerly stepped out. He turned his head slightly and smiled, waving as the driver drove off. He was home, and hopefully home to stay.

He took the several ginger steps that were required to reach the house. There were no lights on, but considering it was the middle of the day, he was not too surprised. Under his arm was a small bag full of his few possessions, including a CD of his. He smiled once more and took his headphones off his ears, everything was alright now. Everything worked out.

The brunette slid the paper door open and stepped into the room, there was a sign hanging on the wall that said, please go the way I'm pointing. The boy smiled softly, he could only guess who wrote that one. But he did as the sing said, none-the-less and went into the living room where Anna usually watched her soap operas. There was a new orange couch in the middle of the room. Strange, there were also odd things hanging from the ceiling. The brunette shrugged it off and went to sit down on the couch, figuring he was to wait there.

The simple action of sitting was about to occur when he heard a loud, "Surprise!" Then it seemed as though a million faces jumped out from behind the couch, even though, the reality was it was only five people. Then he glanced over to the person who had turned on the lights to reveal a room full of orange decorations.

"Welcome home," she said, a smile finding it's way to her delicate lips.

"Thanks," the boy replied.

"I missed you," came the uneasy comment.

"I missed you too," the boy smiled happily.

"Just hug. Seriously you two, be a normal couple for once," Horo shouted from his place between Ren and Pirika.

"Nii-Chan, don't ruin it," Pirika scolded.

"Just telling them what to do," Horo smiled happily. Yoh was back, Anna looked happy, everything was going to be okay now. Everything.

"I agree with the Baka Ainu," Ren smiled wryly. "He's right, for once. So, hug you two."

"Anna," Yoh questioned, tilting his head slightly. "Should we listen to them?"

"Do whatever you want," Anna sighed, trying to hide the smile on her face.

"Okay then," Yoh beamed as he wrapped his arms around his fiance. Anna was stiff as a board at first, but slowly let her guard down, and eventually wrapped her arms around Yoh in return.

They stayed like that for a few moments, each enjoying the peaceful bliss of life slowly returning to normal, until Anna slowly let go of Yoh, "Welcome home."

Then she slowly leaned up and placed a gentle kiss to his lips and began to walk away. Just before she was out of the room, she said with a sly smile, "Enjoy the party today. Tomorrow, you work double your normal routine for all the trouble you put me through."

"Welcome home Yoh," everyone laughed in chorus, Yoh even laughed along with them. Yep, things were back to normal now.

**Hikari: That's all! Please read and review! Thanks bunches!!!!**


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